Description of Property:

From Listed Building records: House, now-house and shop. 17th century with 18th century and 19th century alterations. Tiled roof, one gabled dormer to right, timber framed with brick infill and painted render to whole of street elevation. T-plan with 2½ bays of timber frame at right angles to street. 2 storeys and attic, 2 wide glazing bar sashes over 19th century shop front of 2 square bay windows and central door trader timber fascia and cornice. House door to left.

Notes from Norman Hidden's papers:

A house which belonged in 1470 to William Gunter (¼ burgage, quit rent 2d.), and was formerly William Davy's, probably stood on this site, and the same house was owned in 1552 by Thomas Faller, the miller, who had let it previously to John Fletcher, then to George Bradford, an employee of the Hungerford family who held him in high esteem. Quit rent 2d.

In 1573 there was a house here tenanted by John Heywood and leased from Richard Biddle, quit rent 4d. By its position in the 1573 and in subsequent quit rent rolls this house is undoubtedly on the same site as the present day no.11. The change in quit rent to 4d. (at which rate it remained until 1836 when the last quit rent roll was drawn up) is a difficulty in identifying the site with that of the 1470 & 1552 house, though by its position in the surveys the site would seem to have been the same.

It has not been possible to identify the property in the survey of 1591 since in this survey the buildings are not listed in the regular order of previous & subsequent surveys. In 1609, however, the property clearly appears as a tenement & backside occupied by Robert Haynes, with three halves (i.e. 3 half acre strips) of meadow in Woodmarsh appertaining to it. The freehold is said to belong to Thomas Goddard and the quit rent is 4d. (This raises the possibility that in the 1552 and 1470 surveys the meadow land had been let separately or accompanying another property, attracting its own share of quit rent at 2d. There is, however, no hard evidence for this.)

In 1626 the lease of the neighbouring house to the south (this should be north – HLP) shows that no.11 was then in the occupation of Robert Harries, saddler. (P.R. Robt. Harries saddler m. Joan Newbury widow, 1589. A Robert Newbury was buried in June 1587). A further deed dated 1676 shows that the neighbouring messuage to the south (i.e. 12 BS) was then tenanted by Isaac Jenkins glazier. The 1676 quit rent roll lists, immediately north of Isaac Jenkins, Daniel Read who like Robert Harries was a sadler by trade (PCC will of Samuel Waters l675). W.H.Summers, the Congregationalist minister, who wrote "The Story of Hungerford", was particularly interested in Daniel Read since his house was used by Presbyterians as a meeting place (p.119). Summer's book includes an early photograph of the premises and its neighbours.

A lease granted 31 January 1690 by Francis Goddard to William Brushwood describes-: the tenement (with backside, garden, & orchard adjoining) as situated on the west side of the High Street between a tenement in the tenure of Joseph Butler on the south (12 BS) and one in the tenure of Walter Tuttle on the north (10 BS). (Joseph Butler had acquired the property on the south and is shown as such in the 1753 quit rent roll).

In 1753 the house is that between Joseph Butler's and Walter Tuttle's & is described as Joseph Allen's Upper House, that is, in distinction from his Lower House which was a couple of doors "down" the street towards the river (in fact this is 9 BS – HLP). In the 1774 QRR this has become Matthew Miller and in 1795 Matthew Miller "late Allen's". In 1805 this becomes Thomas Atherton, followed in 1818 by William Davis & Thomas May; in 1832 by " - Orchard, late Matthew Miller", & in 1836 David Orchard, late Thomas May".

The Hungerford Virtual Museum is run by the Hungerford Historical Association (a not-for-profit organisation). We depend on donations from our readers. If the information provided has been helpful we would appreciate a small donation via the secure PayPal Donate so that we can continue to share information with others. We appreciate any donation you can give and thank you for it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Join the HHA?Why not join the Hungerford Historical Association? Only £13 a year - and you can enjoy a great series of talks for free! Visit the Historical Association website to find out more.